My Grenadier overheated today on I80 eastbound, just past Donner Summit. First sign was the heater blowing cold. I didn’t realize it at the time, thinking the system went wonky since I’ve read others here with random HVAC issues. A while later, I get the engine hot warning but had to continue on for another minute for safety reasons as there was no place to safely stop. This was in the middle of a snow storm and dark so visibility was quite poor.
Upon inspection, the coolant in the blue cap reservoir was empty! WTH I know it was full when I checked yesterday. Engine bay smelled like coolant, but I didn’t find a leak. The blue cap did have a bit of dry coolant splashes around it, I expect from the relief valve. I filled it with almost a gallon and a half of drinking water (I didn’t carry any coolant or distilled), and engine temps are back to normal. I didn’t see any leak inside but I suspect something to do with the heater as this is the first time it was used. It did seem to work fine, until it didn’t. I was able to make it to the house just fine, but I left the heat off.
I’ll have to schedule a service visit for this. In the meantime I’ll buy the correct coolant and inspect things this weekend. I fear for the engine. Aluminum engines don’t do well after overheating.
. If it leaked out there should be physical evidence. If it was burned through one or more cylinders, i.e. a head gasket, then those spark plugs should be discoloured and heading towards fouling. A pressure test and a coolant contamination test of the oil will confirm. A problem for your dealer.
